Fractionating apparatus



Oct. 31', 1967 J. A. REDDICK FRACTIONATING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Dec. 17, 1965 wd .k

mi i A F J. A. REDDICK Oct. 31, 1967 3,349,91 1 FRACTIONATING APPARATUSFiled D80.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 2% W90 miwzm W9 im M/ w Och-'31, 1967 Filed Dec. '17.1965 J. A. REDDICK FRACTIONATING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N VENY UR.4/550 /4, Fe 0 0961? y W F 4q A 5 9M United States Patent 3,349,911FRACTIONATING APPARATUS John A. Reddick, Houston, Tex., assignor toClayton Anderson & Co., Houston, Tex., a corporation of Delaware FiledDec. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 514,461 2 Claims. (Cl. 209-304) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE cylinder.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for fractionating distinctmaterials forming ;the constituents ,of a mixture, and moreparticularly, relates to an apparatus for separating trash componentsfrom cottonseed.

.Sticks, immature seed, and other large trash particles .remaining withcottonseed after a ginning operation adversely affect the quality andvalue of the cottonseed. For instance, oil mills purchasing cottonseedfor'extraction of oil therein usually buy by the pound and are .thuspaying for useless material when the-cottonseed is high in trashcontent. Furthermore, it sticks and other large trash particles arepresent in cottonseed when .linter'fibers are removed therefrom, thesticks and associated particles mix with the linter fibers andsubstantially decrease-the value of such fibers for paper makingpurposes, etc.'Therefore, it is desirable to fractionate orseparatetrash components from materials such as cottonseed order toupgrade the seed.

The present invention is directed to an apparatus where- .in centrifugalforce is .imparted .by a rotating ,screento material to be separatedsuch as a mixture of cottonseed and trash. Simultaneously, rotor meansare employed to force such material into a circular or rhelicalpatharound and .in the same rotating direction asthe screen wherebysmaller particles pass through the screen and 'are separated from largermaterials which remain within the screen. Coaction of the centrifugalforce exerted on the material by the screen 'andthe circular forceexerted by the rotor means operates to align the larger particles suchas sticks axially with'thescreen'and prevent passage therethrough.Conventional methods and apparatus for 1separating materials such assticks and other trash from cottonseed have centered around the useprimarily of shaker screens which are effective in removing small trashparticles but ineffective in adequately separating out sticks becauseof-inabilityto align sticks when using such screens. Thepresentinvention is directed .to improvements in a fractionatingapparatus which combines centrifugal .and circular force to effectivelyseparate sticks and other large trash particles from the cottonseed.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatusfor-separatingdistinct materials forming the constituents of amixturethrough the use of centrifugal and circular force exerted on suchmaterial.

A further object of the present invention is E'the ,pro-

vision of means for separating constituents of a mixture by the use ofrotating screen drum meansin combination with rotormeans wherebyparticles of one size range are separated from particles of another sizerange.

Yet .anotherobject of the present invention is the provision of anapparatus for separating sticks, immature seed, and other large trashparticles from cottonseed by the use of rotating screen drum means forimparting centrifugal force to the mixture and rotor means revolving inthe same direction as the screen for imparting circular force to themixture whereupon :the cottonseed and smaller particles pass through thescreen drummeans and sticks and other large particles are retainedwithin said means.

.Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of anapparatus for separating sticks from cottonseed by .use of a rotatingscreen drum and a rotary brush coaxial therein whereby passage of thestick and cottonseed mixture between the rotor and screen causes thecottonseed to penetrate the screen whereas sticks are aligninglyretained within the screen.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent fromthe following description of presently preferred embodiments of theinvention, given for the purpose of disclosure, and taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, .Wherein like character referencesdesignate like parts throughout the several views and where,

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating acontinuous fractionating apparatus according to the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating afurtherembodiment of a continuous fractionating apparatus according .tothe present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG- .URE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a partial elevational view illustrating the combination of a.plurality of devices according to the present invention.

For purposes of illustration ,and by way of example only, the presentinvention is described and is useful in cleaning and separating trashfrom cotton seed and will be described as performing that function. Ofcourse, the apparatus of the present invention is useful in cleaning orfractionating many and various types of material mix- .tures.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly FIG- URE l, the.reference .numeral 10 generally designates the apparatus of the presentinvention for fractionating mixtures such as cottonseed and trashparticles. The apparatus 10 generally comprises an inlet chamber '12through whichthe material tobe separated is passed'by ducts 14. Thematerial ,is then distributed'by means of blades 16 into contactwithrthe screen drum ,18 which rotates at a speed great enough to exertcentrifugal force on-the material. The rotor 20 has brushes 22 mountedthereon which contact and push the material being separated ina circularor helical path upon rotation of the rotor 20. Approximately a /2 inchclearance between the brushes 22 and thescreen 18 is preferred. Materialsmall enough to pass through-the perforations of the screen 18 .dropinto the chamber 24 and are removedby means of the duct 26. Materialretained within the screen 18 is conveyed in a spiral path to the bottomof the screen and through ports 27 into the chamber 28 for Withdrawalthrough the duct 30. It should be noted that if there is a high volumeof material entering the chamber .28, it willbe advantageousto provide asweeper arm, not shown aflixed to the rotor .20 toexpedite removal ofmaterial from such chamber.

The rotatable screendrum 18 is fixedly securedto a "base 32 which inturn is rotatably secured tot-he shaft "34byrmeans of suitable bearings36. Rotationis imparted tothe screen .andbase by a motor 38 andsuitablepulley .dri-vevi40.

The rotor 20 is fixedly secured to the shaft 34 and the shaft in turn isrotatably secured by means of suitable bearings 42 to any suitablesupport means not shown. Rotary movement is imparted to the shaft 34 androtor 20 by a motor 44 and pulley drive 46. It will be recognized thatpulley drives 40 and 46 may be operated from a single motor by use ofpulley wheels of proper diameter.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3 for more detailed explanation of thepresent invention, a slightly different embodiment of the invention isillustrated. In FIGURE 2, the shaft 34 is shown rotatably supported bythe bearings 42 on the frame support members 48 and also at its upperextremity by bearing 50 supported on the frame of the inlet chamber 12.The inlet chamber 12 and outlet chambers 24 and 28 are integrallyconnected to support members 52.

Perforations 54 in the screen 18 are of sufficient size to permitclearance of cottonseed but small enough to cause sticks and largerparticles to be retained within the screen. Also, the perforations arepreferably flared or tapered outwardly on the exterior side of thescreen 18 so that the cottonseed penetrates the screen without beingwedged therein. The number of perforations in the screen is limited onlyby screen diameter and thickness to maintain structural rigidity of thescreen as well as desired capacity of the apparatus. It will berecognized that there should be an adequate number of perforations toaccommodate and expedite the passage of cottonseed through the screen.

It is seen from the drawings that at least two spaced bearings arerequired to mount the shaft 34 to the support members 48 or as shown inFIGURE 2 the inlet chamber 12 which acts also as a support member. Suchmounting technique assures proper alignment of the shaft for truerotation. Likewise, the screen drum 18 is rotatably mounted on the shaft34 by at least two bearings such as bearings 36 on the base 32 toprovide proper alignment for true rotation of the screen.

In operation, and with reference to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, sticks and otherlarge trash particles are separated from cottonseed by passing themixture through inlet ducts 14 to the inlet chamber 12 where the blades16 as well as the effect of gravity transfers the mixture to the screendrum 18. Upon contacting the screen drum 18, centrifugal force as aresult of rotation of the screen 18 and the pushing effect of therotating brushes. 22 affixed to the rotor 20 combine to force thecottonseed sticks and any other material into rotation around and downthe wall of the screen 18 more or less in a spiral path. The rotor,screen. As the seed and sticks pass over the perforations 54 of thescreen, seed and other material equal to or smaller than the size of theperforations 54 pass through the perforations and into the collectionchamber 24 whereupon they are removed through the outlet duct 26.Centrifugal force of the screen 18 and pushing action of the brushes 22causes sticks to align axially with the screen drum 18 and are graduallyworked to the bottom of the screen by virtue of speed differentialbetween the rotor 20 and the screen 18 as well as the efiect of gravity.Upon reaching the bottom of the screen 18, sticks and other large trashparticles are expelled through the ports 27 of the screen into theoutlet chamber 28 and are discharged through the duct 30.

The screen drum 18 must be rotated at sufiicient speed so that thecentrifugal force exerted thereby on the material being separated causessticks to align axially but does not exert enough force to balance theweight of the material therein so that the cottonseed may freelypenetrate the screen. In addition to causing sticks to align axiallyrather than randomly (in which event the sticks would also penetrate thescreen 18), rotation of the screen .increases velocity of the materialtherein to reduce drag on the inner surface of the screen therebyproviding a of course, rotates in the same direction as the 4 wipingaction of the screen by the material adjacent to it to provideself-cleaning action.

The rotor 20 should rotate at a speed great enough such that the brushes22 push the material being separated in a circular and helical patharound the interior of the screen 18. A speed differential between therotor 20 and the screen 18 is desirable so that gravity causes thesticks and other large trash to work down the screen 18 into thedischarger chamber 28.

As an example of relative speeds of the screen 18 and rotor 20 to effectefficient separation of sticks and other large trash particles fromcottonseed, a rotor speed of 900 revolutions per minute and a screenspeed of approximately 270 feet per minute have provided highlyacceptable results.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the device of the present invention may be usedadvantageously in series operation as a continuous process forfractionating mixtures such as cottonseed and trash particles of anysize. For example, the apparatus of FIGURE 4 generally comprises threecleaning devices operating as just described. The material to beseparated is fed into the first cleaner designated generally by.thereference numeral 56 through the inlet ducts 58. Thereupon cottonseedand smaller trash particles penetrate the rotating screen 60 and aredrawn off through the duct 62. Sticks, larger trash particles and somegood seed fall within the screen 60 and are drawn off through the duct64. Duct 64 is fed to a second cleaning device represented generally bythe reference numeral 66 wherein cottonseed and smaller trash particlesnot separated in the first cleaner 56 penetrate the screen 68 of cleaner66 and are drawn off by duct 70. Again the sticks and large trashparticles are drawn off through duct 72.

The cottonseed and smaller trash particles from cleaners 56 and 66 arefed through ducts 62 and 70 into a third cleaner 74 having perforationsin the rotating screen drum 76 large enough to permit penetration ofsmall trash particles therethrough but small enough to cause cottonseedto be retained within the screen 76. Thus the smaller trash particlespassing through the screen 76 of the third cleaner 74 may be drawn offthrough duct 78 and combined with sticks and large trash particles induct 72 for waste treatment. The substantially clean cottonseed is drawnfrom the third cleaner 74 by duct 80 for further processing. It will berecognized that suitable perforation size of the screens and speeddifferential of the rotors and screens of the cleaning system justdescribed must be provided so that separation of the cottonseed andtrash particles may be carried out.

Thus provided is a highly effective device for separating distinctmaterials forming the constituents of a mixture and particularly trashparticles from cottonseed by the combined use of centrifugal andcircular forces in an apparatus comprising rotating screen drum meansand rotor means.

The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out theobjects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as othersinherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments of the inventionhave been given for the purpose of disclosure, numerous changes in thedetail of construction and arrangement of parts may be made which willreadily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which areencompassed within the spirit of the invention and the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for separating sticks, immature seeds and other heavytrash particles from cottonseed comprising:

ashaft,

support means for supporting the shaft within the vertical plane forrotation axially,

means for imparting rotary movement to the shaft,

brushes secured to and transversely of the shaft,

a perforated cylinder coaxially and rotatably secured to the shaft andsurrounding but spaced outwardly of the brushes whereby clearance isprovided for cottonseed between the cylinder and the outer ends of thebrushes,

means for imparting rotary movement to the cylinder simultaneously withand in the same direction as movement of the brushes on the shaft,

an inlet duct mounted on the support means through which the trash andcottonseed is passed for gravitational contact with the brushes, and

a separation chamber secured to the support means for separation ofcottonseed passing through the perforated cylinder from trash retainedWithin said cylinder.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the perforations of the cylinderflare outwardly for free passage of cottonseed from therewithin.

References Cited 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 292,259 1/1884 Schutz 2o9 3o4373,453 11/1887 Gilbert 209404 x 1,315,775 9/1919 Jones 209-296 x 10FOREIGN PATENTS 563,233 9/1923 France. 700,944 12/1953 Great Britain.

15 HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

TIM R. MILES, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,349,911 October 31, 1967 John A. Reddick rs in the above numberedpetthat error appea Letters Patent should read as It is hereby certifiedd that the said ent requiring correction an corrected below.

printed specification, lines 3 and 4,

In the heading to the read Anderson, Clayton 25 Co.

for "Clayton Anderson E Co.

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of December 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, J r.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer

1. AN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING STICKS, IMMATURE SEEDS AND OTHER HEAVYTRASH PARTICLES FROM COTTOMSEED COMPRISING: A SHAFT, SUPPORT MEANS FORSUPPORTING THE SHAFT WITHIN THE VERTICAL PLANE FOR ROTATION AXIALLY,MEANS FOR IMPARTING ROTARY MOVEMENT TO THE SHAFT, BRUSHES SECURED TO ANDTRANSVERSELY OF THE SHAFT, A PERFORATED CYLINDER COAXIALLY AND ROTATABLYSECURED TO THE SHAFT AND SURROUNDING BUT SPACED OUTWARDLY OF THE BRUSHESWHEREBY CLEARANCE IS PROVIDED FOR COTTONSEED BETWEEN THE CYLINDER ANDTHE OUTER ENDS OF THE BRUSHES, MEANS FOR IMPARTING ROTARY MOVEMENT TOTHE CYLINDER SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS MOVEMENTOF THE BRUSHES ON THE SHAFT, AN INLET DUCT MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT MEANSTHROUGH WHICH THE TRASH AND COTTONSEED IS PASSED FOR GRAVITATIONALCONTACT WITH THE BRUSHES, AND A SEPARATION CHAMBER SECURED TO THESUPPORT MEANS FOR SEPARATION OF COTTONSEED PASSING THROUGH THEPERFORATED CYLINDER FROM TRASH RETAINED WITHIN SAID CYLINDER.